The chief executives of ACEVO, CFG, NAVCA and NCVO are calling for an independent Commission into the future of voluntary sector infrastructure in England.
In the past few years, Children England, the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI), the Small Charities Coalition (SCC), and Getting On Board have all closed, as have many NAVCA member organisations. More recently, Reach Volunteering announced that it would close. Three weeks later, nine funders and donors came together to keep it open until the end of 2028. On 14th October, Directory of Social Change (DSC) announced it was entering insolvency.
Each closure leaves charities, community groups and social enterprises without support or resources they relied on, and creates gaps for other infrastructure organisations to fill, often without sufficient or sustainable funding to do so. But this debate isn’t solely about funding.
Infrastructure holds a great deal of knowledge, relationships, trust and expertise, which should be protected. But we also need a strategic definition for infrastructure, which is why, together, we are proposing an independent review of voluntary sector infrastructure in England, led by an independent chair.
As national infrastructure bodies, we are asking: What is infrastructure for? What do charities, voluntary organisations and community groups need, and what will they need in the future? How can we best be organised to provide that? And finally, how should that support be paid for?
This Commission should seek out the views of key stakeholders, from small volunteer-led community groups to the biggest charities in the country, from government nationally and locally, and from funders.
At NAVCA, we want to make sure we are future-facing and ready for the challenges ahead. We also want to support our members to ensure that they are adapting and developing what they do, ensuring their services are high quality and effective.
Find out more here: www.navca.org.uk/news/infrastructure-needs-rethinking-not-rescuing-and-its-leaders-need-to-lead-the-change